Month: December 2012

(If you don’t like professional wrestling then please proceed to reading this news article about a man who got $7.2 million for being an idiot.)

The storylines this year on RAW and Smackdown were not just bad. The stories broke the spirit of the viewer and made them wonder how or why they continued to watch. Each week was more illogical than the last. The episodes stomped on the heart of the wrestling enthusiast. It kicked them in the groin and spat in their face. There was one thing that made me keep crawling back this year, the actual wrestling was good.

Mesmerizing bouts kept me tuned to my screen despite how much each story pained me to watch unfold. Lots of great matches happened this year. Still, there can only be one match of the year.

Before I can talk about the best match, I have to talk about the worst matches of the year. These aren’t the worst technical matches but the matches that made me question my position as a wrestling fan.

The Ugly.

Daniel Bryan vs. SheamusWrestlemania XXVII

18 Seconds.

This image still makes me mad and the match was 8 months ago. I’ve spoken about this before. It’s not so much the result. Everyone knew Sheamus was going to win. I wanted a good match. I didn’t get anything. It’s just plain old ugly. Better left unmentioned.

The Never-Ending Story.

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del RioEvery single damn match these two had.

This feud taught me that the WWE does hold hate for its fanbase. That can be the only reason Sheamus beat Del Rio in 3 PPvs in a row. The matches were bad. The crowd never got into them. It can only be hate and disdain for people that allowed these two to face each other over and over again. There were no stipulations added. Just Sheamus vs. Del Rio.

Awful.

The Miz vs. Nearly Anyone

This dude is awful and he should not be wrestling. I think he is kept employed for the same reason Del Rio and Sheamus tangled for so long. He has dragged down every match he has ever been in and should be shot out of a cannon into the sun for his crimes against professional wrestling.

Dishonorable Mentions

Next up are matches that everyone else loved but I didn’t.

Brock Lesnar vs. John CenaExtreme Rules

Brock Lesnar, former UFC champion, returned after eight years to take on John Cena. He proceeded to eviscerate Cena for over twenty minutes. And then John Cena wins out of nowhere like he usually does. I don’t get the buzz behind this match. I rewatched it to give it a fair chance. It’s okay if you don’t like John Cena because he gets his ass beat, but overall I don’t see how this is better than the rest of the matches of the year.

Undertaker vs. Triple HWrestlemania 28

So this year for the third time Triple H challenged the streak. The Undertaker beat him last year but only barely. So the Undertaker has come back for retribution. He wants to beat him super bad this year. But wait there’s more! Shawn Michaels, the guy the Undertaker retired, is the special guest ref! And it’s Hell in a Cell! I didn’t hate this match. It’s a great match. It also took an hour out of the show. Everybody loves the Undertaker streak matches. I can never get into them as much. . Maybe I’m missing something but this is also a match I don’t get the buzz behind it. I’m tired of these matches where we see how much the Undertaker can kick out of. I had my full of these after the rematch with HBK.

MATCH OF THE YEAR!

And now it’s time for the match of the year. It’s going to WWE which is what I usually watch. TNA/NJPW did have some fantastic matches this year but I don’t keep up with them enough to be able to say what the match of the year was. But before I can say what the Match of the Year is, I have to talk about what other matches I really loved.

CM Punk vs. Daniel BryanOver the Limit

I didn’t want this match to end. It was back and forth action. Everyone was having fun. I prefer matches where two guys just cut loose and beat the crap out of each other. The finish was perfect. Punk won but it left room for Bryan to demand a rematch.

Daniel Bryan vs. SheamusExtreme Rules

I was nervous about this match. I didn’t know if Bryan was going to be shown as an equal to Sheamus or made out to be a joke. I was pleasantly surprised. A scrappy technical wrestler tries his best to battle against a powerful brawler. A nice story to watch and the crowd helped to make the match. It was all about Bryan. Could he wipe away his Wrestlemania nightmare? He didn’t but this was still one hell of a match. This would have been match of the year but one thing holds it back, the last fall.

And now without any further delay, the match I pick to be Match of the Year for 2012

I thought for sure that Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus at Extreme Rules was going to be my favorite match for 2012. I had written up this post and it was ready to be published. Then I saw TLC and I was amazed. This match was astounding. It’s a nice story about teamwork. The Shield work as a unit. The good guys didn’t and that’s why they lost. There was great use of each person in this match. It was announced quickly as a replacement match after CM Punk went out with an injury. I;m convinced this was for the better. CM Punk vs. Ryback could not have been as entertaining as this match.

Why are Anti-drug commercials so lame? I don’t drink, huff, puff, snuff, snort,smoke, inject, ingest, vaporize, or absorb any drugs. It’s certainly not because of any of the stupid Above the Influence commercials. They are complete failures at stopping people from doing drugs. They make me cringe.

Look at this video.

This kid goes into a diner and mentions he doesn’t want to get twisted with his friends. The diner waiter gives him a break and he doesn’t have to pay for his meal. Seriously? Do they think this will get kids to not do drugs? They’ll get a free meal out of it? That’s how to entice the youth into a drug-free lifestyle? Free stuff?

This isn’t how the drug free life is at all. I’ve never been offered a free meal. I’m persecuted everyday because of my choice to be drug-free.

I am thoroughly convinced that the commercials use reverse psychology. The people who make these commercials want children to do drugs.

Here’s another one.

The dog tells her owner that she’s not the same when she does drugs. Great concept without the dog. Horrible execution. It’s just funny. The sort of thing people laugh off and then go get high. Nobody will be convinced by this video to stop. “Oh wow. That dog sure did make me sad. I’ll stop snorting cocaine off hooker’s asses from now on.”

Look at this Bud Light commercial.

That video is bleeping hilarious. It’s fun. Bud Light is seen as a prize that people want to earn. It’s a community gift. It’s something to be desired.

The symbolism in this one is nice and all. He rises above the drugs. I understand his feeling but this is not enough. Try harder anti-drug commercial makers. Maybe the makers of these commercials don’t try because they don’t care. They are probably like my teachers in middle school. They say don’t smoke and they smoke in the parking lot. They don’t understand what it means to be drug-free.

Above the Influence is a failure. I hate to say this because there’s a great idea to it. Let try to get kids to not do drugs. If they were good at their job, I would know more than one person who was actually drug-free! If the people behind Above the Influence were really serious, they’d spend their money fighting to get alcohol commercials off of TV. The Super Bowl is the most watched event on television and it has so many alcohol commercials.